


My Love, My Darling

by Joley123



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-28 18:40:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19400071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joley123/pseuds/Joley123
Summary: Brooke Lynn needs a last minute date for his sister's wedding, and he's left with reaching out to his ex as the best option. Vanessa doesn't mind playing the role - it was an excuse to have a weekend vacation. Besides, they were both totally over each other, right?





	My Love, My Darling

_One week._

Brooke Lynn had one week to pull himself out of the mess he'd gotten himself into. He paced around his room frantically, knowing time was running out. His sister’s wedding was important to the whole family and she _implored_ her big brother to bring his boyfriend. 

His boyfriend whose existence he had lied about. It wasn't that he'd set out to tell such a lie, of course not. It was just that if she had tried to set him up with the guy that she'd met on that one yoga retreat – the one where she really ‘found’ herself – one more time, he might have thrown himself off a cliff. 

Brooke had already called a couple of friends, but they were either busy or sick. Not that it’d stopped any of them from laughing at his misfortune, of course. Then it occurred to him – instead of telling an outright lie, he could take a previous truth and bring it forward to the present. That would work, right? 

“That’s still a lie, Brooke,” Vanessa said into the phone when Brooke called him with the proposition. Still, he mulled it over. They were both loosely aware of the feelings he still harbored – if nothing else, he could play the part well. “There’s an open bar, right?” he finally asked.

“Obviously.”

Vanessa chewed on his lip, nodding to himself before answering. “Okay, yeah, fine. I’m in,” he told him. “But you owe me big time,” he added before hanging up.

Brooke Lynn exhaled in relief and went on to step two: texting his sister and making it sound like he was making a ‘big confession’ – that he didn’t have a new boyfriend, he had just gotten back together with his ex, and how he was so sorry for lying, how he had just gotten nervous. Without having to look her in the eye, the lie flowed pretty easily, much to his relief. 

Okay, yes, he should have felt a stronger sense of guilt about lying to his sister in any capacity, but it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, and he was already in way over his head. Besides, this could be fun. Anything with Vanessa was fun as far as he was concerned – he was the life of the party and a general delight to be around. And…maybe thinking about him like that was why it was so easy for him to convince everyone he needed to that they were back together. 

### 

“What do you think, too ‘over the top’?” Vanessa asked as he looked at himself in the three-panel mirror in the suit shop. He had looped A’keria into this because, well, dealing with this alone would put him on a dangerous path to getting too into his feelings. He needed a friend to keep him grounded, and one that actually knew his history with Brooke Lynn was exactly what he needed.

A’keria cocked his head to the side and pursed his lips. “Do you know what the dress code is for this thing is? Did Brooke send you a copy of the invitation or anything?”

Vanessa nodded and grabbed his phone, pulling up the picture Brooke had sent him. “It says ‘black tie optional’. But I need a whole outfit, I don’t care what type of tie I gotta wear,” he explained.

“A black-tie optional dress code means you wear a dark suit, maybe a tux. Like, fancy, but not, you know, ballroom on the Titanic fancy,” A’keria explained, looking him over. “The shirt and pants are fine, but the jacket’s all wrong. You look like you’re waiting to have a growth spurt into it,” he observed and helped him take it off.

“They should just say that on the invite,” Vanessa murmured and opted for a different suit jacket. “This one’s nice. Needs a little taking in at the waist, but I can do that much,” he mused. 

“Then you’re all set,” A’keria nodded.

After Vanessa changed back into his regular clothes and paid for his outfit, he and A’keria went out to lunch at a nearby diner. “You’d tell me if this was a bad idea, right?” he asked, looking down at the mug of coffee he was absently stirring his spoon in. 

A’keria nodded and bummed a fry off his plate. “Yeah, probably. But would that stop you, is the question,” he told him. “I’m just trying to look out for you, girl. I know what you’re like whenever you’re around Brooke, and you know you’re playing with fire,” he warned. 

“It’s different this time,” Vanessa defended. “I know where I stand with him – we’re going as pretend dates to a wedding. I’m just helping him get out of a lie, not trying to win him over or whatever. I got my big girl panties on, I know better.”

This didn’t quite assuage A’keria’s concern. “Are you trying to convince _me_ or yourself?” after a couple tries, he managed to get eye contact with him. “Listen, I’m just worried about you. You tend to…go all in when it comes to Brooke Lynn. And it hasn’t worked out that well so far.”

Vanessa huffed, disgruntled. It felt like he was getting a ‘talking to’ from his mother more than anything else. Maybe he didn’t have the best track record when it came to how he handled his relationship with Brooke. But he did like to believe he had learned from his experiences, he had grown. And the distance they’d had over the past few months had done him good – he’d allowed himself to set those feelings aside and move on. Whether or not he had fully moved on hadn’t been relevant, and he’d be damned if it didn’t stay that way. “I’m fine. Seriously. I know how to take care of myself.”

### 

“Be there in five,” Vanessa read off his phone. He sent a reply in confirmation before going through his travel bag one last time. Everything was packed and he had the itinerary memorized – check in at the hotel, have a quick drink or two with his siblings, that way they could call it a night then and be ready for the wedding the following day and brunch on Sunday. He swore he would have fun if it was the last thing he did – if nothing else, just to prove that he still could. 

When Brooke arrived in an uber, Vanessa quickly made his way downstairs and put his bag in the trunk before joining him in the backseat. “Hey,” he greeted pleasantly. “What time is the flight, again?”

“Quarter to noon,” Brooke answered as the car peeled back out into the road, taking them on their way to LAX. Initially, he had worried that having to take an international flight would have been a deal-breaker for Vanessa, but his response had been along the lines of ‘well, I needed a vacation anyway’. That was something he had always admired about him – he found it so effortless to go with the flow. Brooke always needed a plan, to map out everything. Vanessa brought an excitement and spontaneity into his life – it was one of the first things he missed when they broke up. 

There were a lot of little things Brooke Lynn had missed about Vanessa, and just in the time it took for them to get from Los Angeles to Toronto, he was faced with several of them. There was the way he could navigate through somewhere as hectic as an airport with ease, how cute he looked when he immediately passed out on the plane, the look he would give him when the cab driver made a terribly lame joke and they’d laugh for all the wrong reasons. It felt familiar, it felt warm. 

By the time they had actually checked into the hotel room, Brooke was feeling dizzy, like his mind would fog up every time he tried to think clearly. He was sure it was jet lag; he was just tired from the flight. “Fuck, it’s like…after eight, isn’t it?” he went into the bathroom and splashed water on his face. _Snap out of it. You’re an adult._ Once he was done silently chastising himself, he reentered the room. “You still up for drinks?” he asked, ready to cancel if Vanessa so much as hinted at not feeling up to it.

But Vanessa was well rested from the flight and seemingly far less affected by jet lag. “Yeah, I’m good,” he changed from his barely-there tank top to a button-down shirt. “Ready to act like you’re still in love with me?” his tone was lighthearted; it shouldn’t have stung Brooke the way it did. 

Brooke swallowed thickly and offered a pageant smile. “Absolutely,” he extended his arm for him to link onto and they made their way down to the hotel bar. Having had the longest commute, they ended up being the last to arrive, but everyone was happy to see them, nonetheless. 

“Oh, you made it!” Brooke’s sister hugged him tightly. “Was the flight alright?”

“Yeah, made great time,” Brooke nodded. “You guys remember José, right?” he cocked his head towards Vanessa, who was already greeting and hugging everyone as if they were old friends.

The bride-to-be seemed the most excited to see Vanessa, wrapping him in a bear hug. “Of course! Oh, I’m so happy you decided to bring him,” she beamed, turning and gesturing to the bartender to make another two drinks. 

Brooke beamed warmly, draping his arm around Vanessa and kissing the side of his head. “As if there was anyone else that I’d even consider bringing,” he chuckled, ignoring the fact that he had attempted to enlist various other friends prior. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, right, my love?” and it was nice to see the way Vanessa fit in so easily with his family, his magnetic charm reeling them in just like he’d been.

“Uh huh,” Vanessa smiled, and, after a few drinks, the small gathering eventually started to dwindle down. “I’mma head back up to the room,” Vanessa announced. “Should I wait up?”

“Go ahead, darling. I’ll be right there,” they shared a quick kiss before Brooke was left alone with his sister. “Isn’t he great?”

“Yes, and _entirely_ out of your league,” she joked. “You better get a ring on that one fast, he’s a total catch,” she mused before adding, “I’m turning in, see you tomorrow.”

And in another life, she would’ve been onto something, Brooke mused. She wasn’t wrong – Vanessa is a total catch and yes, quite possibly way out of his league. But he only had him for the weekend and hoped that’d be enough to satisfy his cravings. 

### 

Brooke Lynn sat on the bed as he watched Vanessa get ready. “You look good in a suit,” he remarked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in one.”

“More of a cocktail dress type gal,” Vanessa chuckled, looking in the mirror and sighed in frustration. “Can you tie this for me?” he asked, gesturing to the crooked loop of a tie that loosely hung around his neck. 

Brooke pushed himself up to his feet and went over to him. “Yeah, I got it,” he did the tie with relative ease, his hand ghosting down Vanessa’s arm as he pulled back, stopping when their hands met, and fingers intertwined. The touch lingered; a soft gaze tenderly fixated on the smaller male.

“What?” Vanessa giggled softly and tilted his head. “Do I have something in my teeth?”

Blushing, Brooke averted his gaze, breaking the stare. “You just look…really beautiful right now,” he quietly confessed. His hand retracted to his side, swallowing thickly as he took a half-step back. 

Normally, Vanessa could take a compliment in stride and respond in a distant confidence. But he was as muted as Brooke was, a hint of rosiness in his cheeks. “Thanks. You clean up real well too,” he managed to say as if anything was in the vicinity of normal. He glanced over at the digital clock on the dresser. “We better get going…”

Brooke blinked himself back into focus. “You’re right, let’s go,” he agreed, shoving his phone into his pocket as they headed out the door. Once they reached the hotel lobby, they were back in ‘couple mode’ again, walking hand-in-hand to the ceremony. 

Luckily, they didn’t have to do much but sit and be quiet during the ceremony, not that it stopped Vanessa from resting his head on Brooke’s shoulder and wrapping both of his arms around one of Brooke’s. 

“You alright?” Brooke nudged him gently.

Vanessa nodded. “I just get emotional at weddings,” he explained, and that was all the explanation he was willing to offer, so, they sat through the rest of the ceremony in relative silence. It was right to the reception after that – something they were both surprisingly relieved about getting to.

The hotel’s ballroom was beautiful, everything was set up to be elegant without being unapproachable. All the guests were mixing and mingling and finding their assigned seats. Brooke and Vanessa were sat with the rest of Brooke’s siblings and their spouses – the pressure to keep their pseudo-love story going was on more than ever. They partook in all the small talk they needed to, to the point where they forgot that they were even trying to do anything other than have a good time. 

Then it was time for the newlyweds’ first dance. Everyone was in their seats as the bride and groom slow danced to ‘Unchained Melody’ until other couples slowly trickled onto the dance floor as well.

Brooke Lynn got up and extended his hand to Vanessa. “May I?” he led him to the dance floor and wrapped his arms around his waist.

Vanessa properly looped his arms around him as their feet quickly found the gentle rhythm of the song and stepped in tune. He exhaled deeply and melted into Brooke’s embrace as they swayed, resting his chin on his shoulder before just leaning his head on it. 

Their surroundings faded out, it was just the two of them, dancing in time with the music and each other’s heartbeat. And in that moment, they couldn’t help but wonder – would it be so hard to pick up where they left off? Would it be that big of a mistake? How could sharing your life with someone you could connect to in perfect synchronicity be anything but the rightest thing in the world?

When the song came to an end, they stepped only slightly apart, holding eye contact that went right to their hearts, sending them into overdrive. “I never should have let you go,” Brooke breathed out softly.

“No one’s looking at us, you don’t have to keep up the act,” part of Vanessa knew this wasn’t just for show, but he desperately wanted to hear it right from the source. 

And he got that confirmation, “I’m not acting,” Brooke confessed, then suddenly held Vanessa by the back of his head and pulled him into a heated kiss. He needed it more than he needed air, absolutely every fiber of his being was aching to hold him as close as he once did regularly.

But as quickly as he initiated it, he backed off. “I’m sorry, I should’ve…I didn’t mean to…” he was still searching for words when Vanessa cut him off with another kiss.

“Don’t apologize,” Vanessa murmured against his lips. “Just…don’t speak,” he said before kissing him again, pulling him closer by gripping onto his jacket. “You wanna bail early or do you need to stick around for cake?” he asked with a soft laugh. 

Brooke rolled his eyes and laughed, already leading Vanessa out of the ballroom and through the lobby. He’d apologize to his sister during brunch, say one of them got sick or something. And maybe prioritizing sex over finishing out the celebration wasn’t the best way to do it, but Vanessa gave him bedroom eyes and there wasn’t a force in the universe that could’ve stopped him from following through. 

They returned to the room in record time – especially considering they spent half of that time trying to make out and walk. It was easier behind closed doors – throwing off their clothes every which way as they stumbled backwards onto the bed. It was a tangled mess of limbs as they tried to touch and grab at each other every which way they could.

Things calmed for a moment, just long enough for Vanessa to get up and grab lube and a condom from his bag (because hey, if you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready) and pass them off to Brooke Lynn. 

Brooke flipped the cap open with one hand and pinned Vanessa to the bed with the other. Normally he would savor their reunion – take his time, draw out his movements, leave him desperate and begging before finally giving in – but he just couldn’t. There were too many emotions, even beyond lust, swirling through him and just driving him for more, now. So, he kept one hand on Vanessa’s waist and prepped him with the other and kissing him as much as he could. 

In the midst of it, Vanessa picked the condom back up, blindly opening it so, as soon as Brooke had pulled his fingers out, he was able to roll the rubber onto his length. He propped pillows up under his head and back, giving him the perfect angle. 

And Brooke took full advantage of it. He gripped on to Vanessa’s thighs as he pushed into him, his knees nearly to his ears by the time Brooke bottomed out. It was barely a couple seconds of waiting before he built up a steady thrusting pace. 

Vanessa tried to keep his eyes open, wanting to commit the moment to memory. But Brooke had remembered every single way to touch him that sent his eyes rolling into the back of his head and his lips parting to let out a stream of moans and expletives. Eventually, he was squeezing his eyes shut and writhing in tandem with Brooke’s thrusts.

“Fuck, baby…” Brooke knew he’d missed their sex but _fuck_ , he really missed their sex. “Shit, still feels as good as I remember,” he grunted.

“You still as big as I remember,” Vanessa retorted with a breathless laugh. He’d have been lying if he claimed that specific trait hadn’t tempted a late night call a few times, stopped only by a miraculous stroke of self-control.

But self-control was out the window now. It didn’t take long for Brooke to lose his sense of rhythm, devolving into erratic, desperate thrusts that lasted until they both hit their orgasms. And when it was over, the air around them felt different, lighter, in a way neither could ever attempt to describe. It allowed them to comfortably bask in a post-coital haze while they caught their breath. 

“This wasn’t your plan all along, was it?” Vanessa asked. He supposed he wouldn’t have been mad if it was, though.

Brooke chuckled and shook his head. “Not in the slightest,” he promised. “At first I didn’t even want to ask you to come, I thought it’d be such a dick move,” he confessed as he pulled Vanessa close to cuddle. “But I’m glad I didn’t trust my better judgement,” he added, gently kissing his cheek a few times over. 

“Me too,” Vanessa chuckled. “Almost talked myself out of it a few times,” and he’d almost let A’keria talk him out of it too. Part of him was looking forward to rubbing their rekindled romance in his face, while the rest of him knew he should wait it out, just in case. 

There were a few quiet moments before Vanessa spoke again. “What happens next? For us, I mean,” he could feel his heart start to speed up as he asked, despite how utterly spent his body was.

Brooke pressed his lip into a fine line as he thought. “We go to sleep. Then tomorrow we go to brunch, then we fly back to LA…then if we’re not too tired, I’m gonna take you out on a real date. From there, we’re just gonna take it one step at a time,” he let his fingers aimlessly thread through Vanessa’s hair as he spoke. “How does that sound to you?” 

Vanessa smiled and kissed him chastely. “Perfect.”


End file.
